Releasing a pained yelp, I dig my nails into the armchair as Slicer continues to apply white powder to the burn on my shoulder. It feels as though it will melt through my flesh at any minute as she cautiously massages the chemical into the burn. As I sit there I can't help but feel as though my heart is beating too much for its own good, I should be relaxed but instead, it seems as though it wants to leap out of my chest. Rolling her eyes she adds the last of the powder as I wince, "Stop being such a drama queen. It isn't that bad."

"Isn't that bad?" I reply as I clamp my eyes shut. "I look like I've had my shoulder dipped in boiling oil or some fucked up chemical. How is that powder supposed to help again?"

"For the millionth time, it'll clean out the wound and prevent infection. In future, try to avoid getting injured. I know it's an impossible task for you but could you at least try?"

As she rubs the last of the powder into the burn, another medic pulls my head back against the top of the chair. "Will you stop moving while I'm trying to glue your head back together?"

With a small snicker, Slicer lifts her head to look at the Unicorn mare behind me, "You've obviously never worked with the Captain, Aurora. He does a poor job at listening to instructions from us medical professionals." Grinning her focus switches to me, "What did the Princess say? Wait until the Rangers arrive and don't do anything stupid. In response to that request, you pursued Starlight by yourself into a cave and got hit by a fairly nasty spell.

Feeling Aurora's hooves pressing against the back of my head I hold up a hand defensively, "To be fair I was able to fulfil my promise of shooting her."

Aurora scoffs as I feel some sort of liquid dripping onto the gash on my head, "Yet she still got away." Following my earlier pursuit of Starlight, she was able to escape the cave network and cover her tracks as she escaped. I stayed out for a couple of hours with the others as we attempted to track her down. Eventually, Venture was able to convince me that I should return to the village for treatment as they carried out the search.

If we won't be able to find her then it means I will have to keep resources focused primarily on attempting to locate her. It could potentially lead to issues down the line, especially with the Rangers being spread out across numerous garrisons until we develop a more permanent base of operations. What we need is a place to call our own, where the Rangers will have their own facility in order to deploy to various postings when required and to conduct training exercises away from major population centres.

Releasing an irritated groan, I rub my eyes. "Are we done yet?"

"Stop being so impatient and let us work," Aurora responds as I feel her hooves and magic push my skin together around the cut on my head. "You're the one daft enough to get hit with an offensive spell and crack your head open."

Chuckling I roll my eyes, "You need to work on your bedside manner, doc."

Applying some pressure to my skin I release a pained hiss, "Then it's a good thing I'm a medic and not a doctor." After a few more moments she finally releases the pressure on the rear of my head. "There. As good as new. Well, as new as you'll ever be."

Chuckling I turn my head to look at her, "Do I get a lollipop for being a good boy?" Getting my first proper look at her I'm met with a set of violet eyes looking at me with amusement. Her light red coat allows her cutie mark of a syringe layered over an outline of a heart to almost blend in. Instead of wearing the standard issue helmet she has instead opted to wear a beret with the medical cross sewn onto it, the beret sits on her short silver mane as it covers her right eye.

Cracking a grin she steps back to her medical pack, "Do I look like I carry lollipops? Go ask Pinkie Pie, she'll likely have one." As I'm about to run my hand over the back of my head, Aurora's magic swats my hand away. "Don't touch. I just glued your head back together so I'd rather not have more work. It should dry quickly but not that quick."

Glancing back to Slicer I watch as she applies a thick layer of gel onto my burn, as it comes into contact with my skin I feel instant relief from the cool liquid. "So... is it a case of it looks worse than it is?"

Slicer cocks a brow, "Hardly. This is a pretty severe burn, the only reason you're not blubbering like a baby is because you're doped up on painkillers."

I look at her in confusion, "Doped up? I only took one phial and two tablets."

Aurora steps into my view with my medication hovering alongside her, "You've been taking them wrong. Why does nopony ever read the instructions?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you even know what these phials are?" I shake my head as I look cluelessly at her. "Kepeline. It's not just a painkiller, it also accelerates the rate which your body produces adrenaline. You're likely only still conscious because your body is still pumping adrenaline throughout your bloodstream, it'll last for a couple more hours. You're only supposed to take them during severe pain attacks and even then you're only meant to have one phial every three days, you've managed to have three in that time."

"So you're saying that-"

"-Your heart could potentially go pop at any second until the kepeline is no longer in your system. In fact" -As her horn illuminates she takes hold of a syringe containing a clear liquid from her medical pack- "We should probably give you a counter-agent to reduce the effectiveness of the kepeline."

As she steps up to me I raise my hand to stop her, "Hold on. If you flush the kepeline from my system, then won't I-"

"-End up blubbering like a filly? Yes. Yes, you will." Using her magic she takes control of my arm holding it to the side as she keeps it locked in position, "No time like the present." Her magic focuses on my arms causing a throbbing sensation to run through the limb. I watch as the veins on my arm seem to surface almost instantly allowing her to pierce my flesh in order to administer the counter-agent. Pumping the concoction into my bloodstream, she pulls the syringe back with a smug grin on her face. "You've got about twenty minutes before you're a blubbering mess."

Raising an eyebrow I look to Slicer as she starts to chuckle. After a few moments, she finally finishes on my shoulder allowing me to stand. Rubbing the leftover gel from her hooves, Slicer looks up to me with a cocky smirk, "You're likely going to have to go back to a hospital. Maybe this time you'll stay there like the Princess says."

Grabbing my MTP shirt I groan as the fabric brushes against the burn as I put it on. looking at my shoulder I can easily see the damaged flesh below it through the large hole in the shirt. Great. Now I'll have to get someone to make me a new set of camo. In fact... maybe it's time the Rangers get camouflaged uniforms for combat situations. "Aurora, are you under Venture's or Hussar's command?"

Looking back at me she places her medical pack over her flanks, "Captain Hussar. Why?"

"I think I may have a new posting for you and a number of Rangers under her command." Before she can ask what I'm referring to, I quickly leave Starlight's house which we were using as our temporary field base and head out into the streets. The majority of the villagers seem to be out on the streets and celebrating having their cutie marks back, they don't even seem to mind the guards as they march back and forth in pairs.

"John," Venture's voice calls from behind causing me to stop. Looking back to him, he approaches me with the rest of the aerial team alongside him. "We conducted a thorough sweep of the area. Unfortunately, we've found no sign of Starlight."

Groaning I rub the stubble on my chin, "Fucking hell. How the hell did she disappear like that?" As Matrix is about to respond, I hold up my hand cutting him off. "And I want an actual reason which doesn't involve magic." His muzzle quickly closes as he brushes his hoof against the floor. Where the hell could she have gone? Who knows how long she and the village were isolated here. Would she even have any connections or anywhere to go? What is there to stop her from coming back here once we've all left? Well... I guess I should find Twilight and tell her my proposal. "Venture. Matrix. Come with me."

As I start to walk they quickly run to either side of me as we walk past the villagers. Cocking a brow, Matrix turns to me. "Where are we going?"

"To speak to Twilight. I've got something in mind which she or one of the other Princesses will have to likely approve." As we continue to walk I glance to Matrix, "So. You dropped a grenade above Starlight. Why not throw it at her?"

"She's a Unicorn which was able to generate a shield capable of stopping our bullets. If I threw a grenade directly at her, she'd likely return it. Besides, my plan worked."

"You just wanted to watch something blow up, didn't you?"

With a slight chuckle he ruffles his wings, "Am I that easy to read?"

"Yeah, you are." Coming to a stop I turn to Venture, "I've been thinking, with the Rangers expanding and a full Company at our command, we'll need somewhere to house them all."

Nodding, Venture joins alongside me. "True. The Ponyville barracks isn't exactly the largest location. Besides, it's only intended for guard duties within Ponyville."

"Exactly, we only have a small garrison. What we need is a Company headquarters. A base of operations for the entire Company to operate from. At the moment our forces are scattered across various garrisons, we need a central location. Somewhere secluded with access to transport links and with enough room to expand. And I think we've found it."

Turning on the spot, Venture looks over the Village. "What? Here?"

"Not right on this very spot, but a couple of miles away from the village. This entire area has not been settled meaning we'll have plenty of room to expand and conduct various weapon tests and training exercises. We could expand the rail network to reach the location of the base and even to reach this village. If we build up a base eventually the soldiers could move out of the base and purchase property here, it could benefit the area at it becomes more populated. We need a base, and this is a prime location."

Matrix shrugs as he looks at the buildings, "It isn't exactly... the prettiest place to settle."

"Well not at the moment, they just got rid of that crazy cunt. Now that they're in control once again, they can expand the town as they see fit." Stepping to the side I look over the villagers as they engage with one another and some of the Rangers as they pass one another. "I was told that our actions when it came to the war games and deploying on combat operations in Griffonia were seen as a bit... aggressive. If we help this community rebuild and improve, it will provide us with good publicity and public support."

"I never took you for a publicity whore," Matrix jokes as he walks past me.

"I don't personally care for it but at least it will shut the nobles up a bit and get them off my back." Starting to walk again we head towards the main entrance to town. "I'll propose it to Twilight as a way to build relations between the town and the rest of Equestria society with the goal of developing the town in the future. But even if she agrees or not, I'll still need to get it past Luna. I think I can convince her."

"I dunno. You ignored her orders. She may refuse just to spite you."

With a soft chuckle I glance at him, "I'm sure I can find a way to convince her." As we move around the last building I can already feel the rate of my heart decreasing, it won't be long until the pain from my injuries force their way through the painkillers. Lifting my head I look at the end of the path on the hills to see the girls standing alongside Crimson and Colbalt.

Reaching the girls, they all fall silent as their eyes lock onto my new injury. "John?" Twilight asks with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Not particularly. Give me a few minutes and I'll likely be in agony. What about you girls? Are you all okay?"

Twilight nods her head, "We're fine. You and the Rangers were able to retrieve our cutie marks, thank you. But..." Twilight pauses as she looks back to the town. "I know that you acted in order to help us. But was attacking Starlight the best way to go about it?"

Cocking a brow I rest my hand on the hilt of my sword, "I acted in everyones best interests. She has caused no end of trouble, potentially enslaving a town and still possessing the ability to do it again. Using force on her meant that other citizens across Equestria would be safe from her. I admit I could have attempted apprehending her. Given the circumstances, I still think force was the best option."

"Does that mean that you-"

"-Killed her?" Twilight lowers her head slightly as the rest of the girls focus on me. "No, she was able to escape. I followed her into the caves where we had a confrontation, hence this lovely new mark on my shoulder. She'll be wandering the wilderness with an injury, I was able to shoot her before she escaped. This leads us to our next issue."

Turning, Twilight gestures for me to follow her as we begin to walk along the path away from town. "That we need to find her."

Nodding, I walk alongside her. "Yes, she needs to answer for everything she has done. I'll have the Rangers look into locating and apprehending her, but there is the chance that she'll return here once we're gone. I want a garrison in this village."

"Are you sure that is the best option? I know that they will be able to protect the town, but-"

"-Exactly. They'll protect the town. Don't forget, Ponyville has a garrison and in our time there we have had no negative effect on the town. We're simply there as a service to protect the residents. A garrison here will do the same, they'll protect the village as it grows and resolve any conflict should it arise. We've already started to change this village by removing Starlight. Let us continue to help the villagers."

Twilight doesn't respond as she seems to consider what I'm offering. After a pregnant pause, she finally nods her head, "If Princess Luna agrees then you'll have my support. For now, I think it'll be best to keep a small unit in town, they can use Starlight's old home."

Looking over my shoulder I nod to Venture, "Lieutenant, select ten Rangers to remain here for their posting. Since this town doesn't seem to have a doctor, have Aurora stay here with the others. Once it's sorted, bring all of the Rangers with you. We're heading home."

"Yes, sir." Turning back he quickly runs into town as we continue to walk back towards the train line.

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"What did I say?" Nurse Redheart states as she inspects the burn on my shoulder. "Avoid physical activities and get bed rest. So what do you do? You go across Equestria and manage to get into a fight only to get injured once again." True to Aurora's word, soon after receiving the counter-agent my heart rate returned to normal but it came at the cost of being in complete agony. My chest was soon on fire and the burn on my shoulder became significantly worse as time went on. Returning to Ponyville I voluntarily went back to hospital instead of having Slicer march me there like she threatened to.

Groaning I rest my head back against the pillow, "I just seem to bring out the worst in people, don't I?"

"I think you're just bad at listening to instructions." Shaking her head she glances to the remains of my leftover medication, "I can't believe you took three doses of kepeline without reading the label. Do you know how dangerous that was? Not to mention that it's highly addictive if abused."

"Now you see why I'm not a medic. At least it did the job."

"Yeah, and it almost killed you in the process." Sighing, Redheart retrieves a set of bandages with an orange thread running down the centre of the material. Leaning over the bed she starts to carefully apply it over my burn. "This should help, it's been coated with lidocaine so it'll make your shoulder feel numb, just make sure you stay in bed this time. We'll have to conduct some tests to ensure that the kepeline hasn't put too much stress on your heart, so don't go discharging yourself."

Wincing as the bandage comes into contact with my flesh, I look to her, "I promise. This time I won't leave the hospital until you kick me out. I'm already pretty sure that I've pissed someone off by discharging myself."

"That's an understatement." Lifting my head both myself and Redheart look to the doorway to see Luna standing there as she glares directly at me.

Bowing her head, Redheart quickly ties off the bandage. "Your highness. I-I'll leave you two alone." Gathering her things, Redheart exits the room at a rapid pace closing the door behind her.

Stepping up to my bed, Luna glares down at me. "Is there something wrong with your ears? What did I tell you?" As I open my mouth to reply, Luna cuts me off, "You clearly did something stupid. You've magically returned with a new injury which you certainly didn't have when you left for that village."

"I had to act."

"Had to act!?" Luna narrows her eyes, "From what your Lieutenant has reported, he said that the Rangers arrived shortly after you helped cause some sort of disruption in the town. You failed to listen to me!"

"Luna! It was the right call!" Lifting her head, she looks to the side. "If we didn't act when we did then who would have known what opposition the Rangers would have met when they entered the town. The residents were under Starlight's influence. If a military force tried to take the town I have no doubts she would have sacrificed them as she made her escape. Our actions were risky, but I have no doubts that we saved lives by doing that."

Sighing, Luna runs her hoof over her muzzle. "I know. It still doesn't address the fact that you disobeyed me. I'm glad that you were able to save lives, but you had an order and you deliberately ignored it."

Pushing myself up, I sit against the headboard. "Technically... I was off duty?" I offer meekly as a defence.

"Yes, you were supposed to be off duty. So why did you even accompany the girls to this village? You were told that you needed bed rest, yet you went against it."

"What would have happened if I let them go by themselves? They could still be captive, we could have never found them or they could have even been brainwashed to join that crazy cult. I went to protect them and that is exactly what I ended up doing."

"And what if one of your soldiers did the same?" Luna asks as she paces around my bed. "Do you expect me to believe that you'd be happy if one of your soldiers who was on medical leave ignored your orders and put himself at risk?"

"...No."

"No!" Luna repeats as she raises her voice. "Exactly! If your soldiers can't do it, then why can you?"

"Because I was going crazy!" Luna watches me as her expression softens slightly. "I was trying to come to terms with the fact that I may have killed my friend, I couldn't sit here with my thoughts. You try sitting around with nothing but guilt, it will drive you mad. You were stuck on the moon under the control of another being, you should know what I'm on about. I bet you felt nothing but guilt for the actions you committed while corrupted by Nightmare Moon. Well, that's what I was going through... coming to terms with killing a friend isn't exactly a walk in the park."

Luna remains silent for a moment, "You should have spoken to your friends."

"And do what? Listen to them all say that it wasn't my fault? That I'm a good person and I shouldn't blame myself? That would do nothing but pile the guilt on me. It was my fault, nothing anyone says is going to change that. I stayed in Canterlot and got corrupted as a result. If I left for Ponyville with Twilight then Tirek wouldn't have taken control and Spectre would still be alive. My actions resulted in her death, there is no one to blame but myself."

"So you're determined to keep blaming yourself?"

Lowering my head, I nod, "It's the only way I'll learn that my actions have consequences. As an officer, my decisions can mean life or death for those under my command. It got Williams killed, it got Taylor killed and now it has gotten Spectre killed. I have to accept that their deaths are my fault, it's the only way that I'll be able to continue and to improve as a leader."

Sighing, Luna sits on the side of my bed. "John, you know as much as I do that you can't save everypony. I led the Equestrian military during the war against King Sombra, I lost many ponies under my command. It's good that you know that you can't save them all and that you're trying to improve, but you can't pin Spectre's death on yourself." Resting her hoof on my hand she locks eyes with me, "I know that we're... together, but I can't have you running around disobeying orders. You're a Captain first. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Luna. I know."

"Technically I should discipline you for your insubordination. But... given the circumstances, I don't think that it's wise to do so. You did protect the girls and were able to help free that town, but you still went against my orders." Rising from my bed she turns to face me, "But if you ever disobey my orders, I will take action. Is that understood?"

Nodding my head I rest my hand on my shoulder, "I understand. I'm a soldier first and I always will be." After a brief puase I give Luna an innocent smile, "Can you patch me up?"

Stepping closer she leans forward and places a kiss on my cheek, "No."

Wait, what? With a nervous chuckle, I shake my head, "No? What do you mean no?"

"You need bed rest. The only way you'll definitely get it is if you stay here in hospital until the doctors say you can go." With a sly grin she steps back, "I'm going to give you an order, this time you'll follow it. You are forbidden from entering the Ponyville barracks until I say that you're fit to return to duty, this way you won't be tempted to work."

"If I can't go to the barracks then where am I going to sleep?" Wiggling my eyebrow I tilt my head, "Are you offering me your bed?"

Luna can't help but giggle as she shakes her head, "You wish. No, I'll arrange with the girls for you to stay with them once you're discharged. You need to relax and I'm sure that they'll be able to help you."

Groaning I rub my eyes, "Fine, no work. But there is one thing-"

"-No work."

"But."

"No work," Luna repeats herself as she narrows her eye. "The Rangers have another Captain and a Lieutenant who can carry out duties while you're absent."

"Last thing then I promise no more work till I'm fit and able to return."

Sighing Luna rolls her eyes, "Fine. What is it?"

"The village. I spoke to Twilight and she's happy for me to leave a small troop there to protect the town just in case Starlight returns. I'm only keeping ten soldiers there but the Rangers are spread out too much, we're based all over the country rather than one central location. I want our next main project to be developing an army base, the location near that village will offer us plenty of room for training purposes. Over time it will aid the village's growth and boost the local economy through the business off soldiers when they get leave."

"A base?" Luna asks. "You want a full military base for the Rangers? That may be difficult, Equestria hasn't had a new base for centuries. I'll consider it, but actually getting the base built is another matter entirely. For now though, I'm happy for the Rangers to keep a small unit in the village." Stepping away from the bed, Luna comes to a halt by the door. "Get some rest, John. We'll discuss it at a later date. Remember, do not go back to the barracks, I'm going to tell the guards there that they're to prevent you from trying to work."

With that Luna gives me a soft smile before leaving the room. Being left alone with my thoughts I lie down fully on the bed and rest my head on the pillow once again. Great, a few days spent stuck in bed followed by not being able to return to my own bedroom at the barracks. Releasing a sigh I close my eyes in an attempt to get some sleep.

No work? The entire time I've been here I've mostly worked, what else am I going to do?